Man who posed as ‘Astrologer Pooja Kinnar Guruma’ on Instagram, blackmailed woman arrested

The Ahmedabad Cyber Cell of Crime Branch has arrested a Rajasthan-based man for allegedly impersonating a self-styled astrologer and spiritual guru on Instagram, coercing a woman into sharing intimate content under the pretext of religious rituals, and then blackmailing her for money.

The accused, identified as Rajneesh Govindlal Bhargav, a resident of Bikaner, Rajasthan, was arrested within a week of the complaint being lodged and brought to Ahmedabad on transit remand.

According to investigators, Bhargav allegedly operated an Instagram account under the name 'astrologer_pooja_kinnar_maa', falsely presenting himself as 'Astrologer Pooja Kinnar Guruma' and offering solutions to love, marriage and relationship-related problems through purported spiritual rituals, charms and special pujas.

Victim blackmailed after being manipulated into explicit video calls.

Police said the accused first gained the victim’s trust through Instagram and Facebook by promising to help her attract a desired person and resolve personal issues through rituals.

He then allegedly obtained the victim’s personal information and photographs through social media and WhatsApp, claiming they were required for the rituals.

Investigators said the accused later threatened to edit and circulate the victim’s photographs online, placing her under severe mental pressure and coercing her into participating in nude video calls under the guise of “ritual procedures”.

Police alleged that the accused recorded the video calls, captured screenshots, and then sent the explicit material back to the victim through WhatsApp’s “view once” feature while threatening to make the content viral on social media unless further payments were made.

Under sustained blackmail, the victim allegedly transferred ₹1.43 lakh to the accused through multiple transactions.

According to the Cyber Crime Branch, the accused and his associates operated several fake Instagram and Facebook profiles posing as astrologers, kinnars and spiritual gurus, including pages such as 'astrologer_pooja_kinnar_maa', 'astrotalk_with_bheravlal', 'kinnar maa santosh devi', and 'Om Mahakal Jyotishi'.

Police said these accounts were used to target emotionally vulnerable individuals online by advertising remedies for love, marriage and personal disputes.

Investigators said two additional accused Vikas Pokhraj Bhargav and Ravi Satyanarayan Bhargav, both residents of Bikaner, are absconding and wanted in the case.

Preliminary scrutiny of bank transactions linked to the accused has revealed suspicious financial activity of nearly ₹60 lakh over the past two years, with police suspecting that more than 65 victims may have been cheated in the past month alone.

Authorities said the gang had contacted nearly 300 mobile numbers recently as part of its fraud operation.

Police have identified four bank accounts allegedly used in the racket, and at least eight cyber fraud complaints linked to the accounts have surfaced from different states on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.

A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and section of Information Technology Act.

Further investigation is under way to trace the absconding accused and identify additional victims of the alleged pan-India extortion racket.